AT least P398.5 million worth of agricultural machinery and post-harvest facilities were turned over to Nueva Ecija as part of the efforts of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to modernize the province’s agriculture sector.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel led the distribution of 125 machinery to 88 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) at the PhilMech center at the Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

“Pakiusap ko po na ingatan at alagaan ninyo ang mga makinaryang ito. Bagaman ito ay libre, nararapat pa rin na gamitin ito ng may pagpapahalaga at pag-iingat,” Laurel told the beneficiaries.

“Kung kailangan nang dumaan sa maintenance, huwag nawa natin itong pababayaan upang mas matagal pa at mas marami pa ang makagamit nito,” he added.

Laurel said he hopes that the machinery will be the key to a harmonious relationship between farmers and the government.

The farm machines include five four-wheel tractors, 22 hand tractors, nine walk-behind transplanters, 21 riding type transplanters, four precision seeders, 22 rice combine harvesters, nine single-pass rice mills; 13 six-ton recirculating dryers, 13 12-ton recirculating dryers, four 1.5-ton per hour (tph) multi-stage rice mills, two 2-3 tph multi-stage rice mills, and one 4-5 tph multi-stage rice mills.

PhilMech Executive Director Dionisio Alvindia said it is the biggest one-day distribution of farm machines and it clearly demonstrates how PHilMech has sustained the distribution of machinery and conducted various trainings for beneficiaries under the RCEF-Mechanization Program.

“Our ultimate aim is to modernize the countryside, and make it contribute more to national economic development,” Alvindia said.

A total of 935 various rice machinery and equipment were turned over to 444 FCAs in Nueva Ecija from 2019-2023 under RCEF-Mechanization Program.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cory Martinez